worth it to upgrade from a 290 to a 361P?

[Raymond]

My STIHL rep here thought I was full of sh!t too. Then I showed it to him and now he wants it bad. He's the one that told me it came from the west coast, not even available around here in the Midwest.

Got her at Swap and Shop for 125 bucks and the thing looked new. I couldn't get my money out quick enough.

 

[Raymond]

Got a link to a 023C? I assume the 230 is completely different?

Nother pic. Not my saw I'm Stihl trying to figure out how to post pics here. When I do watch out...http://image2-3.rcuniverse.com/e1/forum/upfiles/46823/Wr55943.jpg

 

[windthrown]

My STIHL rep here thought I was full of sh!t too. Then I showed it to him and now he wants it bad. He's the one that told me it came from the west coast, not even available around here in the Midwest.

Got her at Swap and Shop for 125 bucks and the thing looked new. I couldn't get my money out quick enough.

You gott'a be kidding. The Stihl 230 has been around since the 023 times. They are not as common as the 210 or the 250, but it is in the Stihl 1123 model line. They are 40cc and in between the 210 at 35cc and the 250 at 45cc. They have been in the Stihl catalogs for a long time. The C designates it as a quick side chain adjuster with the plastic dial, instead of the more typical 2 hex bar nuts. Here is the link on the US web site for the 230:

http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/MS230.html

And here is the 230 C-BE model:

http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/MS230CBE.html

There are a lot of more rare 023/230 model saws out there. One in Europe had the stiffeld muffler for quiet operation. Ran crappy though. I saw on in a model in Australia with a decomp and a gas primer on it. That one is also listed in the 250 repair manual.

 

[Raymond]

Man i tell ya I eat and breath this sh!t and I like my 023C.
You call it what you want I call it a bad@ss saw. :blob4:

 

[Jeske 962]

290 to 361

To get back to the original post I bought a ms361 recently and have a ms290, I defenitely grab the 361 first but I have no intention of getting rid of the 290, Perfect 2nd saw and for me I just go from one saw to the next and keep cutting. Both are saws good enough to have as your only saw but I have zero regrets about buying the 361 when I have a perfectly good 290 ready to cut wood.

Joe

MS361
MS290
o34 super
031 AV 2 times

 

[TreePointer]

To get back to the original post I bought a ms361 recently and have a ms290, I defenitely grab the 361 first but I have no intention of getting rid of the 290, Perfect 2nd saw and for me I just go from one saw to the next and keep cutting. Both are saws good enough to have as your only saw but I have zero regrets about buying the 361 when I have a perfectly good 290 ready to cut wood.

I just added a 361 to my 290 today! The better antivibe, torque, and lighter weight attracted me. Right now the 290 is designated as the backup/family loaner.

 

[windthrown]

To get back to the original post I bought a ms361 recently and have a ms290, I defenitely grab the 361 first but I have no intention of getting rid of the 290, Perfect 2nd saw and for me I just go from one saw to the next and keep cutting. Both are saws good enough to have as your only saw but I have zero regrets about buying the 361 when I have a perfectly good 290 ready to cut wood.

Yep. I ran that combo for about 2 years. Worked well.

 

[Dadatwins]

If I wake up feeling tired or hung over I just grab the 361 and everything feels fine again. If I have a bunch of overdue bills that I am worried will blow away because I accidently left the office window open I put the 029 on the pile and it stays put. See that, both saws have a purpose.

 

[Plasmech]

If I wake up feeling tired or hung over I just grab the 361 and everything feels fine again. If I have a bunch of overdue bills that I am worried will blow away because I accidently left the office window open I put the 029 on the pile and it stays put. See that, both saws have a purpose.

I used my 290 two days ago (sold it one day ago). Used my 260 Pro today. I *swear*, that 260 cut just as well as the 290 and is LIGHTER. I'm not so sure I believe that the 290 is really 3.8 HP.

 

[Dadatwins]

I used my 290 two days ago (sold it one day ago). Used my 260 Pro today. I *swear*, that 260 cut just as well as the 290 and is LIGHTER. I'm not so sure I believe that the 290 is really 3.8 HP.

I think the 260 revs higher and it definitly has more torque. For a real screamer grab a dolmar 5100s and cut with that. Same class of saw but higher RPM.

 

[windthrown]

I used my 290 two days ago (sold it one day ago). Used my 260 Pro today. I *swear*, that 260 cut just as well as the 290 and is LIGHTER. I'm not so sure I believe that the 290 is really 3.8 HP.

The 290 will run a bigger bar than the 260 and you will not notice it until you bury it in the wood. I have had both at the same time, and the 290 will outcut the 260. But not by that much. About the same amount as the 361 outcuts the 290. The weight difference is noticable though.

 

[Plasmech]

The 290 will run a bigger bar than the 260 and you will not notice it until you bury it in the wood. I have had both at the same time, and the 290 will outcut the 260. But not by that much. About the same amount as the 361 outcuts the 290. The weight difference is noticable though.

See that whole "not by that much" thing is why I'm now reconsidering the 361, which I've really wanted for a while. Just not THAT much different than my 260 pro, and heavier. By the way, does the 260 Pro have an anti-vibration system?

 

[Dadatwins]

See that whole "not by that much" thing is why I'm now reconsidering the 361, which I've really wanted for a while. Just not THAT much different than my 260 pro, and heavier. By the way, does the 260 Pro have an anti-vibration system?

Yes but it is not as good as the 361 system. The 361 is newer design and uses springs as anti-vibe. The 260 uses rubber bumpers. The 260 has been around 20+ years and it still works well. The 361 is newer technology, some say stolen from that orange chainsaw maker in sweden, but it seems to be working very well.

 

[windthrown]

See that whole "not by that much" thing is why I'm now reconsidering the 361, which I've really wanted for a while. Just not THAT much different than my 260 pro, and heavier. By the way, does the 260 Pro have an anti-vibration system?

Bottom line? For me, a 50cc and a 60cc saw is a really good combo. I have a pair of each. And you mis-read my intent in the last post.

I said that the 361 is not that much more power than a 290, and the 290 not that much more than the 260. That does not translate to the 361 not having much more than the 260. The power difference between the 260 and the 361 is very much noticable. About the same as the jump between the 361 and the 044. Some here on AS think that you need to jump from the 260 to the 440. I do not share that opinion though. The 044 is a large ass saw. The 361 will drive a 25 inch bar all day and all night. The 260 does not. The 361 has way better AV than the 260. The 260 does not have the newer type of AV springs, no.

They both have their place. I use a 50cc saw a lot for limbing and thinning and small firewood cutting. Typically smaller than 8 inch trees and logs. For bigger stuff? I get a 361. I use them the most for falling, bucking, firewood salvaging and cutting rounds. For really big stuff? I get the 044. The 361 is by far the least tiring saw of the lot though. It is nice to flip to a lighter weight saw at the end of the day though, and to use on jobs that do not require a larger saw. The 025 that I have has about the same power as a 260, but it is lighter. I would rather have a 260 than a 250, but they are expensive and I want better AV (and my brother backed over my 026 that I loaned him). So I am looking to replace the 025/250 pair (maybe) with a 346XP/NE.

 

[flashy]

I bought a new 026 years ago and traded it off two years later. Got tired of the CONSTANT carb adjustments and plugged air filter. Got an 029 super and cut a ####load of wood with NO probs wharsoever. Got hooked on this site and modded the 029 super and turned it into a SUPER saw. Found a 2 year old 361 for $400 and basically GAVE the 029 super to a friend of mine who recently lost his job and was trying to heat his house with 2 - 30 year old Homelites. The 361 is truly AMAZING. Yet, I still have a soft spot in my heart for the 029 super. The 026 is a bad memory.

 

[Plasmech]

Yes but it is not as good as the 361 system. The 361 is newer design and uses springs as anti-vibe. The 260 uses rubber bumpers. The 260 has been around 20+ years and it still works well. The 361 is newer technology, some say stolen from that orange chainsaw maker in sweden, but it seems to be working very well.

The 260 engine is very smooth...she's kind of like a purring tiger. Something about that saw is just cool. I guess this is why it's still made!

 

[046]

absolutely Not!

forget about 361 and make the jump to 441... or better yet MS 440 if you plan on hoisting up a tree. 441 is same weight as 460...

if you plan on cutting any size wood at all.. you'll be needing more grunt than a 361 can put out.

after I got my 046... my 034 super and Husky 359/365 almost never got used. ended up selling all my 60cc class saws.